The Borno State government has explained the reason the 160,000 repentant Boko Haram insurgents cannot return to killings.
The state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, whose ministry oversees the affairs of the ex-combatants and rescued captives, on Wednesday, said the repentant have sworn to an oath with the Quran.
She gave this explanation at a public presentation of survivors, victims and deradicalised women of Boko Haram by the UKAID-assisted Maiduguri-based non-governmental organisation, Allamin Foundation.
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“It is completely untrue that the repentant Boko Haram fighters are reneging on their repentance and returning to the bush to continue fighting. Out of the over 160,000 who repented, we have already reintegrated over 70,000 in their home communities, and I can assure you that no one will be missing should we decide to gather all of them for anyone to confirm. We operate a transparent process of their repentance.
“We subject each of them to proper oath taking with the Holy Quran that he or she will never return to the bush to fight; and he or she swears with the Holy Quran in the presence of a committee comprising traditional rulers, religious leaders and government officials.
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“No repentant Boko Haram dare renege on the oath because he or she knows what it means to swear with the Holy Quran and renege; and he or she knows that he or she dare not return to the bush because he or she knows that death awaits him on arrival; their commanders in the bush will kill him because they would not trust him,” she said.
The commissioner added that about 75 per cent of the repentant insurgents were originally farmers, who were captured and forced into insurgency.
“They were not real fighters.”
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